Herons and Bitterns 



calls has been written pump-er-lunk, pump-er-lunk, pump-er- 

 lunk; but a better rendering, perhaps, is Dr. Abbott's puck-la- 

 grook, which has been verified again and again. 



After the sedges in the marshes have grown tall, it is next to 

 impossible to find the bird; but on its arrival in spring, when it 

 pumps most vociferously in the fens, the paddler up some lonely 

 creek follows the sound until he sees this freckled fellow stand- 

 ing perfectly still in the low grass, its head held erect and pointed 

 upward. Not a muscle moves while the bird remains in ignor- 

 ance of the watcher. An hour passes, and it might be a dead 

 stump standing there in the twilight. It looks particularly 

 like a stump if it has assumed another favorite position, of draw- 

 ing in its head until it touches its back. Suddenly a succession 

 of snappings and gulpings, to fill its lungs with air, convulses the 

 creature, and then three booming bellowings come forth with 

 gestures that suggest horrible nausea. One who did not see the 

 bird in the act of making these noises would imagine from their 

 quality that they came from below the water, and there are 

 many stories in circulation among people who do not go to the 

 pains to verify them, that water is actually swallowed and 

 ejected by bitterns to assist their voices ; but it is not. 



Come upon the hermit suddenly, and it seems paralyzed by 

 fright. When danger actually threatens, up go the long head 

 feathers, leaving the neck bare and making the bird look formid- 

 able indeed. The plumage is ruffled, the wings are extended, 

 and if the adversary comes too near, a violent slap from the strong 

 wing and a thrust from the very sharp beak makes him wish his 

 zeal for bird lore had been tempered with discretion. A little 

 water spaniel was actually stabbed to death as a result of its 

 master's inquisitiveness. 



During the day, the bittern, being extremely timid, keeps 

 well hidden in the marshes; but it is not a nocturnal bird, by any 

 means, however well it likes to migrate by night. To some 

 it may appear sluggish and indolent as it stands motionless for 

 hours, but it is simply intelligently waiting for frogs, lizards, 

 snakes, large winged insects, meadow mice, etc., to come 

 within striking distance, when, quick as thought, the prey is 

 transfixed. A slow, meditative step also gives an impression of 

 indolence, but the bittern is often only treading mollusks out of 

 the mud with its toes. 



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